There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I love those stories. And since I work in the National Archives, I find those stories for a living.Beecher White, a young archivist, spends his days working with the most important documents of the U.S. government. He has always been the keeper of other people's stories, never a part of the story himself...

Until now.

When Clementine Kaye, Beecher's first childhood crush, shows up at the National Archives asking for his help tracking down her long-lost father, Beecher tries to impress her by showing her the secret vault where the President of the United States privately reviews classified documents. After they accidentally happen upon a priceless artifact - a 200 hundred-year-old dictionary that once belonged to George Washington, hidden underneath a desk chair, Beecher and Clementine find themselves suddenly entangled in a web of deception, conspiracy, and murder.

Soon a man is dead, and Beecher is on the run as he races to learn the truth behind this mysterious national treasure. His search will lead him to discover a coded and ingenious puzzle that conceals a disturbing secret from the founding of our nation. It is a secret, Beecher soon discovers, that some believe is worth killing for.

Gripping, fast-paced, and filled with the fascinating historical detail for which he is famous, THE INNER CIRCLE is a thrilling novel that once again proves Brad Meltzer as a brilliant author writing at the height of his craft.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Fate, as well as the bestsellers The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires and The Zero Game. He is also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby-and is the number one selling author of the critically acclaimed comic books, Identity Crisis and Justice League of America. His newest comic book, DC Universe, will be released in August, and his new thriller, The Book of Lies, will be published in September.

Raised in Brooklyn and Miami, Brad is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. The Tenth Justice was his first published work and became an instant New York Times bestseller. Dead Even followed a year later and also hit the New York Timesbestseller list, as have all six of his novels. The First Counsel came next, which was about a White House lawyer dating the President's daughter, then The Millionaires, which was about two brothers who steal money and go on the run. The Zero Game is about two Congressional staffers who are-literally-gambling on Congress. The Book of Fate, is about a young presidential aide, a crazed assassin, and the 200 year-old code created by Thomas Jefferson that ties them together. For authenticity, The Book of Fate was researched with the help of former Presidents Clinton and Bush. His newest book, The Book of Lies, is about the missing murder weapon that Cain used to kill Abel, as well as the unsolved murder of Superman creator Jerry Siegel's father. Brad is one of the only people to interview Jerry Siegel's family about the murder.

His books have spent over nine months on the bestseller lists, and have been translated into over 25 languages, from Hebrew to Bulgarian. In The Tenth Justice, the opening lines are: "Ben Addison was sweating. Like a pig." In the Hebrew translation, it became: "Ben Addison was sweating. Like a horse." We're not sure if it's a kosher thing or what!

Brad has played himself as an extra in Woody Allen's Celebrity and earned credit from Columbia Law School for writing his first book, which became The Tenth Justice. Before all of that, he got 24 rejection letters for his true first novel, which still sits on his shelf, published by Kinko's.

Brad currently lives in Florida with his wife and children.

GUEST REVIEW:

Once again, BOOKIN' WITH BINGO is very excited to have Guest Reviewer, Larry DeLeon, Managing Director of Enventys Direct, and Supervising Producer of Bouncing Brains Productions, giving us his take on the latest Brad Meltzer novel, THE INNER CIRCLE. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule, Larry!

"If you're the kind of person who likes mystery/thriller books but are looking for a break from the formula books turned out by most best selling authors targeted to men (and women who like their men heroes way bigger than life), you could be in for a treat with Brad Meltzer's The Inner Circle. No macho heroes in this one, but a true page-turner, The Inner Circle's hero is an unlikely bookish type named Beecher White, who finds himself in the middle of a tangled web of what's real and what's not and who can you trust. An archivist in the National Archives who gets pulled into a secret that goes right to the top of the power chain, this DC-based thriller is loaded with surprises, throwing the reader back and forth through time. I found it fun and addictive, with colorful characters interesting enough to be real, (of course, truth is so much stranger than fiction anyway), and I came away feeling satisfied at the end, not something I can say about every pop fiction book I've read lately. Give it a shot, it's worth a read."

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:Last time Larry DeLeon was my Guest Reviewer, he got such great comments that I realized there isn't any reason for me to add my two cents worth. However, I will give you this additional bit of info and that is that I totally agree with Larry's review. I found this to be one read that held my attention and I hated to put it down. I loved the character of Beecher White and think Meltzer did such a wonderful job of developing him that the reader winds up caring so much for him that you find yourself rooting him on. THE INNER CIRCLE just came out less than a month ago in January, published by Grand Central Publishing under the Hachette Book Group. Definitely one to put on your TBR list! Thanks for making my job on this one so easy, Larry!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO BRAD AND THE WONDERFULPEOPLE AT HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE2 COPIES OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY. I ALSOHAVE A BRAND NEW COPY MYSELF SO THAT'S3 LUCKY WINNERS FOR THE INNER CIRCLE!

--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY--NO P. O. BOXES---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESSIN CASE YOU WIN!--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATETOCOUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY:READ "ABOUT THE BOOK", "ABOUT THE AUTHOR", AND WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE, AS WELL AS READING THE REVIEWS, AND COMMENT ON WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY:VISIT BRAD MELTZER'S WEBSITE BY GOING HERE AND READ ABOUT THE MANY INTERESTING THINGS THERE. COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND THAT GOT YOUR ATTENTION, LIKE PERHAPS A BOOK OF HIS YOU HAVE READ OR WOULD LIKE TO READ

+1 MORE ENTRY:BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK AND LEAVE A LINK THAT I CAN FOLLOW

+1 MORE ENTRY:COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY OF MINE THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT ABOUT EACH FOR EXTRA ENTRIES BUT MUST DO SO SEPARATELY.

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comments:

I first realized his amazing talent when I watched Brad Meltzer's Decoded on the History Channel. I had no idea that he was an accomplished author and writing in my favorite genre ... brilliant! Needless to say I am very interested so I am secretly passing my name into your contest and hoping for the best.

BTW if you pull out a name that reads like Sam, Mary, Tom, or for that matter any other name besure to decode the name as most likely it will end up being Steve. LOL

I looked up the reviews for this book and was confused! Some like it very much (mostly Brad Meltzer's fans)and some don't like it! I have never read any of his book and since alll of the reviews agree that the book is fast pace and a real page turner, I want to try it.

Hi! I have heard good things about the author. I was hooked on the review when it said there was a secret vault in the White House. I know I will enjoy this book. After reading the review, I thought of the movie "National Treasure:Book of Secrets". Thanks for this giveaway! :)

The Book of Fate sounds very intriguing, but I do want to read all of his books because he seems so amazingly talented and witty and down to earth...So I would imagine his characters are easy to relate to, and his plots are screamingly clever. I haven't read any of his books yet, so I'd *really* love to win!

On his Q&A page, Brad talks about his philosophy approach to writing and getting published, saying "All it takes is one person to say 'Yes.' You just have to find that person." His tenaciously optimistic attitude could be applied to anything, from getting into college to job hunting to finding the perfect mate and so on. No wonder he's so successful...if he stumbles, he just keeps getting back up with a smile!

I'll have to admit I haven't read anything by this author but I have a feeling that's about to change. Because on his website, Brad admits to being a "Twilight" fan!!! Needless to say I was a little shocked that a man can love a romance (YA at that) but extremely pleased that he is secure enough to admit it! This author is now on my radar!

I don't know what it is about this book that makes me want to read it but I know that it was this paragraph that drew me in:There are stories no one knows. Hidden stories. I love those stories. And since I work in the National Archives, I find those stories for a living.

Thanks to all!

Sadly, we will be saying good bye to Bookin' With Bingo early next month. Things just have been too hectic so we have chosen to close down with hopes for a new "BWB" someday. Thanks to all and KEEP READING!